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Topic: Fanuc OT retro (Read 15417 times)

Hi Guys, new to Mach3. I have an Emcoturn 320 with a Fanuc OT that I am looking to replace. What's the best route to go for Mach3? From my research it seems I should retain the Fanuc servo and spindle drives (machine uses Fanuc red cap AC servos) but I'm not sure how to go about getting step/dir from a breakout board wired up to the drives. Or would I be better off removing the servos and replacing them with steppers/geckos?

Basically the drives that I have need an analog input for movement. In your case probably also. And for what I was told and what I have research there are quite a few alternatives:

1) Replace the drives and keep the motors, and use compatible drives with mach and the motors2) Use galil or dspmc hardware to create the analog signal from the step and direction and keep drives and motors3) Replace drives and motors

Note that I do not have 100% sure that those are correct options!

Option 3 is more straight forward if you do not care so much in having a huge acceleration or speed. Option 2 will keep original and expensive hardware and make you buy also expensive hardware. option 1 will make you buy more or less expensive hardware.

I do not know what is the best, I did not made a decision for myself.Let me know what you will do!

Actually right now I am leaning on a Granite Devices VSD-XE, two new DC servos from them (so I don't have to muck with wiring or PID tuning), but am not sure what to do about the Fanuc AC servo spindle motor; perhaps retain the existing Fanuc drive and also control the 0-10V input via a PIC microcontroller. As far as the turret, chuck and tailstock go, I'm thinking that they wouldn't be very complicated to control with a PIC. With new servos this route would be less expensive than the DSPMC.

Yes that is also a good point.I will only replace the existent hardware IF I cannot put to work the current hardware or if it is to expensive putting it working. Original parts are always (not always 96%) the best.

The Emcocturn 320 I bought was unpowered, and priced accordingly. I got a good deal on it. Since it had sat for so long unpowered, the batteries went dead and all of the default parameters were lost. The machine needs to be "recommissioned" (the term Emco uses to input all of the Fanuc OTB's default parameters.) When I powered it up I got a servo fault on the X and Z axis 417 and 427.

Emco has sent me a pdf on how to recommission the machine, but I have yet to receive the parameter file I have to upload to it. They want $700 for a one year support contract if I needed any additional help but they did promise to send me the file. Still waiting so we shall see. Retrofit/Mach3 is plan B if this all falls through.

If I could find another identical machine I could download all of the parameters from, that would be ideal.

Tool nose radius compensation is not an issue for me, since most cam packages will do that for you.

The Emcocturn 320 I bought was unpowered, and priced accordingly. I got a good deal on it. Since it had sat for so long unpowered, the batteries went dead and all of the default parameters were lost. The machine needs to be "recommissioned" (the term Emco uses to input all of the Fanuc OTB's default parameters.) When I powered it up I got a servo fault on the X and Z axis 417 and 427.

I have also acquire my machine in this condition. In my case I bought this lathe and a vertical machining center. Both machines are from setember 1999 10 years old (controls are not so old 21 series), and were without power for 3 years. The battery's are without power and I am waiting for 2 new battery's (60€ each). The errors that I saw where lost of position due to the battery fault, but I do not think that machine lost parameters. If parameters were lost I will also be lost and a retrofit will be the answer. Probably.